Rail anchor



March 12, 1929. 4 KADAR 1,705,295

RAIL ANCHOR Filed May 10. 1928 Patented Mar. 12, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

LOUIS KADAR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 CHICAGO RAILWAY EQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

RAIL ANCHOR.

Application filed May 10,

The invention relates to rail anchors and seeks to provide a one-piece anchor of simple, cheap construction, which can be readily applied to or removed from the rail base by means of hammer blows, and having a spring grip upon the rail base the tension of which is increased by the creeping tendency of the rail.

The invention consists of the improved construction hereinafter set forth, illustrated in its preferred forms in the accompanying drawing and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figs. 1 and 2 are plan views of slightly modified forms of the improved anchor applied to the rail base;

. Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 4 is a similar view illustrating the manner of applying the anchor to the rail;

Fig. 5 is an end elevation with the parts of the anchor in the position shown inFigs. 1 and 3;

Fig. 6 is a plan view illustrating a modification, and

Fig. 7 is an end elevation of such modification.

The improved anchor is formed of a resilient steel bar which is preferably round in cross section. In its preferred forms, it comprises a cross member orbar 10 which is arranged to extend beneath the rail base 11 from side to side thereof and bear against its lower surface. Preferably, as shown,

' the cross bar 10 is slightly bowed so that its central portion is spaced slightly from the rail base and its end portions or and b bear or seat against the lower surface of. the rail base adjacent its edges.

The end of the cross bar outside and adjacent its seating portion a merges directly into a closed, depending spring loop 12 formed by bending the bar downwardly and inwardly and then upwardly and outwardly, and this loop terminates in a substantially vertical, C-shaped jaw 13 having upper and lower members 0 and cl and which receives one of the rail base flanges. The opposite free end of the cross bar is upturned to provide a lug or shoulder 14 which is arranged to engage the edge of the other rail base flange. Preferably, as shown, the lug or shoulder 14L is provided with a lip e which, when the anchor is in position on the rail,

1928. Serial Not 276,530.

slightly overlaps the edge ofthe base flange, and the rail engaging seat f of the lug or shoulder 14 may, if desired, be provided with teeth or edges for slightly indenting the rail.

The lower jaw member (Z and the adjacent end of the cross bar 10, which in eflect form the overlapping ends of the spring loop 12, are arranged closely adjacent and side by side and preferably the lower jaw member is disposed in front of the adjacent end of the cross bar. The loop 12 is elongated transversely of the rail and the greater portion of it is arranged to be located below the rail flange engaged by the jaw 13 with the outer end of the loop projecting laterally slightly beyond the jaw. Preferably as shown, the loop is inclined forwardly from the lower jaw member d and the cross bar 10 and its lower, forwardly bowed portion 5/ constitutes a foot or abutment for engaging the side of the tie '15 at a point spaced some distance below its upper face.

In applying the anchor to the rail base, it is first placed in the position shown in Fig. 1. Then, by means of hammer blows applied to the outer end of the loop, it is forced onto the rail base and as soon as the shoulder 14 passes beyond the edge of the adjacent railbase flange, it snaps up into the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The jaw 13 and shoulder 14 are so disposed that in the application of the anchor to the rail in the manner described, a tensionis developed in the spring loop which causes these parts to securely grip the edges of the opposite rail base flanges. The cross bar 10 may extend substantially at right angles to the rail as shown in Fig. 1', or be slightly inclined as shown in Fig. 2, to bring the rail engaging portions. of the lug and jaw in alignment transversely of the rail. The anchor may be applied to the rail base with the forwardly bowed portion of the loop engaging the tie, or it may be applied to the rail base at some distance from the tie and then driven forwardly into engagement therewith.

The jaw 13 has a loose fit on the rail base flange. That is to say, the upper and lower jaw members 0 and cl are so spaced as to facilitate the application of the anchor to rail base flanges varying somewhat in thickness. Also, with the anchor free of the rail and the jaw members disposed in the same vertical plane, the lower jaw nember d is disposed below the rail-engagmg portion or seat a of the cross bar as shown in Fig.-

i, and the vertical distance between the seating portion a and the upper jaw member 0 is somewhat less thanthe thickness of the rail base for which the anchor is designed. Hence, when the anchor is forced into position onto the rail, one of the base flanges is gripped between the upper jaw member 0 and the adjacent end or seating portion a of the cross bar and the engagement of the seating portion witn. the lower face of the rail tends to tilt the jaw toward the cross bar as shown in Fig. 5, and thereby causes its upper and lower members to bear or press upon the adjacent rail base flange. That is to say, notwithstanding the loose fit of the jaw upon the base flange, the lower jaw member and the adjacentend of the cross bar engage the underside of the base flange at points adjacent and on opposite sides of a vertical plane extending transversely of the rail and through. the rail-engaging seat of the upper jaw member. This arrangement holds the anchor firmly in position with the spring loop extending forwardly of the jaw and cross bar and with its lower forwardly bowed portion engaging the tie some distance below its upper face to hold the rail-gripping parts of the anchor well away from the tie and with the entire anchor spaced well away from any tie plate, such as indicated at 16. Hence, creeping of the rail cannot exert any pressure on the tie 4 plate that mightloosen the rail spikes.

The construction shown in Figs. 6 and 7 issimilar to the forms shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, except that the jaw member 13 is arranged in rear of the adjacent end of the cross bar 10 and the jaw 13 is tilted forwardly on the base flange instead of rearwardly. In both forms, creeping pressure will tend to straighten the forwardly bowed lower portion of the loop and will also tend to cramp the anchor on the rail base so that the grip of the anchor is thereby increased.

Changes may be made in the details set forth without departure from the scope of the appended claims.

l I claim as my invention:

1. A rail anchor comprising a cross bar having a flange engaging shoulder at one end, a flange receiving, hook-shaped jaw disposed adjacent and on one side of the opposite end of said cross bar and a loop extending between and depending directly from the outer end of the cross bar and the inner end of the lower jaw member for maintaining a spring grip of the anchor on the rail base.

2. A rail anchor comprising a cross bar merging directly at one end into a depending spring loop that terminates in flange receiving jaw members disposed adjacent and on one side of the cross bar, the adjacent end of said cross bar and one of said jaw members being arranged to bear against the lower face and the other jaw member against the upper face of one of the rail base flanges,

and said bar having a shoulder at its opposite free end arranged to engage the edge of theother rail base flange.

3. A rail anchor comprising a cross bar merging directly at one end into a depending spring loop that terminates in flange receiving jaw members disposed adjacent. and on one side of the cross bar,the adjacent end of said cross bar and one of said aw members being arranged to bear against the lower face and the other jaw against the upper face of one of the rail 'base flanges, with the loop disposed beneath such base flange and projecting forwardly of said jaw members and cross bar to form a tie-abutting foot.

4. A rail anchor comprising a spring loop adapted to be disposed below and at one side of the rail base and having adjacent upperend portions arranged side by side and terminating respectively in a cross-bar and a flange receiving jaw so disposed that one of the rail base flanges is gripped between the upper jaw member and the adjacent end of the cross-bar, and the latter having a shoul der adapted to snap the other base flange.

5. A rail anchor comprising a spring loop adapted to be disposed below and at one side of the rail base and having adjacent upper end portions arranged side by side and tcrminating respectively in a cross-bar and a flange receiving jaw so disposed that one of the rail base flanges is gripped between the upper jaw member and the adjacent end of the cross-bar, the latter having means for engaging the other base flange, and the lower portion of the loop forming a forwardly bowed, tie-engaging foot in front of said jaw and cross bar.

6. A rail anchor comprising a spring loop adapted to lac-disposed below and at one side of the rail base and having adjacent upper end portions arranged side by side and terminating respectivelyin a cross-bar and a substantially vertical, C-shaped jaw loosely fitting one of the rail base flanges, the crossbar having means for engaging the other into engagement with rail base flanges, the cross-bar having a shoulder at its opposite end for engaging the other base flange.

8. A rail anchor comprising a spring loop adapted to be disposed below and at one side of the rail base and having adjacent upper end portions arranged side by side and terminating respectively in a cross-bar and a substantially vertical, C-shaped jaw disposed in front of the adjacent end of the cross-bar and arranged to receive one of the rail base flanges, the cross-bar having a shoulder at its opposite end for engaging the other base flange and the lower portion of said loop extending forwardly of said jaw to form a tie-engaging foot.

9. A rail anchor comprising a bar formed into a closed spring loop the overlapping end portions of which directly terminate in jaw and cross members that are arranged to hear at closely adjacent points on the upper and lower surfaces respectively of one of the rail base flanges to grip the same, said cross member having means for engaging the other rail base flange, and the depending portion of said loop projecting forwardly of said jaw and cross members to space the same away from the tie.

10. A rail anchor comprising a bar formed into a closed spring loop the overlapping end portions of which directly terminate in jaw and cross members that are arranged to bear at closely adjacent points on the upper andlower surfaces respectively of one of the rail base flanges to grip the same, with the main portion of the loop disposed beneath said flange and forming a tie-engaging foot and said cross member having a shoulder for engaging the edge of the other rail base flange.

11. A rail anchor comprising a bar formed into a closed spring loop the overlapping end port-ions of which directly terminate in jaw and cross members that are arranged to bear at closely adjacent points on the upper and lower surfaces respectively of one of the rail base flanges to grip the same, with the loop extending laterally and forwardly beyond said members and forming a tie-engaging abutment, and said cross member having a shoulder for engaging the base flange at the opposite side of the rail.

12. A one-piece rail anchor adapted to be sprung into position on the rail base and comprising a cross-bar having a flange engaging shoulder at one end, a substantially vertical flange receiving jaw arranged adjacent and in front of the opposite end of said cross-bar and a depending, forwardly inclined spring loop extending between the inner end of the lower jaw member and the outer end of said cross-bar and arranged to bear on a cross tie below and in front of the jaw and on the lower surface of the rail base adjacent and in rear of the jaw.

13. A rail anchor comprising a bar adapted to extend transversely of a rail, an element at one end of said cross-bar for engaging the edge of one flange of the rail base, a vertically disposed closed loop projecting downwardly and inwardlyfroin the other end of said cross-bar and having its inner end projecting outwardly and terminating in a C-shaped aw, the upper leg of which is adapted to cooperate with the adj acentend of said cross-bar to grip the other flange of the rail base.

14. A rail anchor comprising a jaw for freely receiving one flange of the rail base, the inner end of the lower leg of said jaw extending downwardly, then outwardly to a point below the outer end of said jaw, then upwardly to a point abreast of and above the level of said leg, to cooperate with the upper leg of said jaw to grip the rail flange, and then extending inwardly and terminating in an element for engaging the opposite edge of the rail flange.

15. A rail anchor comprising a clownwardly facing portion adapted to engage the top of a rail flange, upwardly facing portions adapted to engage the bottom of said flange at points spaced longitudinally of the latter, and a member projecting downwardly and forwardly from said upwardly facing portions to provide a tieengaging abutment spaced substantially in front of and below said flange-engaging portions.

16. In a rail anchor, a jaw member having an upper leg adapted to bear against the top face of a rail flange and having a bottom leg extended to form a closed loop below said top leg and terminating in a cross-bar adapted to bear against the bottom of the rail flange adjacent and below said upper leg and also to engage the opposite edge of the rail.

17. In a rail anchor, a rail receiving jaw, and a portion adjacent and below said jaw adapted to extend downwardly and forwardly from a point on the rail spaced from said jaw longitudinally of the rail and adapted to engage a tie at a 'point spaced from the bottom of the rail.

18. In combination, tie, a tie plate extending across said tie, a rail mounted on said tie plate, and a rail anchor having elements engaging the bottom of the flange of said rail at points spaced from each other and also from said tie plate longitudinally of the rail and having an element engaging the top of said flange intermediate said first-mentioned elements and having a member contacting with said tie ata point spaced substantially below said tie plate.

LOUIS KADAR. 

